Sunnydale Folk's
by cosmosmallbottom
Summary: I often wonder what life would be like on a Hellmouth if you were not part of the Scoobie gang


I own nothing but my imagination.

A story about the people of Sunnydale outwith the scoobie circle.

It had been a typically murderous Friday night at the bar and Neil was a little rough with the last drunken punter as he hustled him out into the night. Sasha behind the bar, rolled her eyes in solidarity and smiled as she she undimmed the overhead lights. The previously tastefully dim-lit bar suddenly burst into ugly Technicolor.

Neil grimaced, the place was in a serious state of disarray. Broken glass swam in spilled beer on the floor, every single table and the entire length of the bar was covered with glasses and detritus. Some of the chairs had been up-ended, Neil lit a cigarette and bent down to pick one up noticing for the first time the cold dampness in his underwear where sweat had pooled during the shift.

Neil glanced at himself in the bar mirror to check he didn't look as bad as he felt. At 27 he was slowly coming to terms with not being a teenager any more. Tall with spiked red hair and piercing brown eyes that were contained under heavy dark eyebrows that could stop any conversation dead. He was a intimidating figure now especially as the beer had left a little paunch on top of his former high school football star physique. He took off the black bar shirt he was wearing to reveal a old black band T shirt and his Tattoos. Removal of the shirt was a symbolic thing with him, it immediately made him feel better.

Sasha had slumped herself at the end of the bar and was fishing around on her apron to assess her tips. She unfolded the mess of dollar bills and till receipts then smiled.

"Hey not bad, I must have made around £140 dollars tonight. you said the college kids dont tip!" she said happily. Neil smiled at her paternally, drawing on his cigarette. He wasn't surprised Sasha had managed to get the guys of sunnydale college to part with their cash. Sasha was a bit of a looker, 22 and new to the job, pale skin and slender, she had expressive blue eyes, set in a cheery face that was curtained by loosely curled blonde hair. Neil was glad that she had done well out of the crazy night. She had coped really well despite her inexperience and was obviously a quick learner as well as having a good work ethic. Neil had seen a lot of girls like her come and go over the three years he'd managed the bar. The bar was always understaffed due to being a little rough at times and sunnydale for some reason being the murder and disappearance capitol of America it was often hard to get people to take night jobs.

Sasha had coped well and taken gruffly barked orders from Neil politely and without rolling her eyes and tutting like most of the young girls that briefly worked there. Even when some punk kid, high on some shit had grabbed her and started quoting some mumbo jumbo she hadn't been too shaken.

"You done well tonight Sash, really well, that was a crazy night and you coped brilliantly. You want to knock off and have beer whilst i clear up? Neil said cheerily, the cigarette and de-shirting making him feel a hell of lot more happy than he had been 30 minutes previously.

Sasha didn't need to be asked twice, the gratefull smile that broke on her face telling Neil that she had probably found the night harder than she let on. She poured herself a cold one and returned to her bar stool kicking off her shoes with a satisfied sigh.

They chatted the happy chat of two people that had come through bad times together and got out the other side unscathed. Telling less than complimentary stories about the customers they had served and bursting out in good natured laughter. Sasha put some music on low and was feeling rather pleased with herself, this job was really needed to get her through the next semester of college and the money in her apron would buy grocery's and maybe a new top. On top of that she was actually liking her boss for once. Although he was a bit intimidating and demanding on first impressions Sasha could tell he was someone that actually listened when someone spoke and appreciated other peoples efforts. Neil cleaned the bar quickly with the efficiency of someone that new their job inside out. About forty five minutes later Neil poured Sasha another beer and one for himself lit another cigarette and grabbed the stool next to Sasha.

"So how you finding Sunnydale Sash? I'm surprised anyone wants to move here nowadays" Neil asked while greedily inhaling the cold beer.

"oh its OK, my parents worry but I just say i spend all my time in the library. You just have to get on with it dont you, wasn't like I had a lot of options about college anyway"

"This used to be a quiet town, back when I was growing up, all of a sudden things just started gettin weird" Neil was warming to his topic now, like with most sunnydaler's this was a uncomfortable topic of conversation but a huge obsession none the less. It would be discussed quietly in corners of bars and on factory floor's with wild conspiracy theories springing up about government experiments and alien abductions. Neil didn't believe the conspiracy theory's but he couldn't explain why people he went to school with just seemed to stop existing all of a sudden, or why he seemed to be at a funeral every other week. "Ive seen some stuff with my own eyes that I cant tell anyone about because they would throw me in a loony bin. Guys crawling in the trash eating Rats. Hugely disfigured people walking about in the dead of night". Neil snapped out of it realizing he was probably saying a bit too much if he wanted to keep this girl on staff.

They moved back on to lighter topics and finished their beers jovially. Neil started lock up the bar and double check everything was switched off.

"Sash do me a favour and throw that last Trash bag in the dumpster, while i phone you a cab" Neil said absentmindedly over his shoulder as he tried to remember whether he had done the beer order for next week. Neil heard the back door open and shut as he checked the order log.

A little time passed and Neil sat down again with the cordless phone in hand. He had realised he had no idea whether Sasha was still living on campus. So lit a final cigarette and started making a mental note of tasks for tomorrow.

Neil suddenly realised Sasha had been gone for sometime, she's probably sending a text he reasoned, but he got up to investigate. There was a chance she hadn't snibbed the lock on her exit and was currently locked out.

Neil opened the back door and was surprised not to find Sasha standing there. His eyes started to acclimatise to the gloom. The First thing that he noticed was the bag of trash sitting in the middle of the yard. "SASHA" he said loudly there was a feeling of dread settling in to his stomach now. He noticed the heavy iron gate that separated the yard fom the back alley was ajar, He rushed through it turning his head left and right frantically now.

He saw nothing initially, the alley seemed to be as it always was. He was just about to turn back in to the yard but something caught the corner of his eye, a displacement of the order of the dumpsters, one was slightly askew. Neil would probably never have noticed it had all his senses not been heightened by the Adrenalin running through his veins.

He walked briskly over to the dumpster the feeling of dread increasing as he drew closer. He rested his hands on the lid of the dumpster for a moment his whole body shaking now. He was willing Sasha to appear from the shadows with her phone in hand and give him one of her 100 watt smiles, but she didn't appear. He closed his eye's and opened the dumpster.

As he opened his eyes he was met with a sight that made his knees buckle and head swim. Sasha lay there with her face icy grey frozen in terror, eyes on stalks. Her body was ripped open and blood was bubbling free and dripping onto the trash it had begun to congeal in her hair. Neil was suddenly aware of something wet on his sock he looked down and realised blood was now draining from the bottom of the dumpster and filling his shoe. He looked at it like it was happening to someone else, this all didnt seem real to him, ten minutes ago they were chatting happily. Suddenly it seemed very real again as the shock that was numbing all his nerve-endings subsided enough for his stomach contents to rush up his throat and explode out of his mouth. Neil fell to his knees amoungst the vomit and blood and stayed on all fours as his body couldn't seem to cope with standing upright at the moment.

After period of time Neil became aware of someone else in the alley. Footsteps were walking toward him quickly, Neil was suddenly less concerned about the body and more about himself what if this was the murderer coming back to do him. He drew himself to his feet and turned with his fists clenched to meet whoever was approaching.

Through his swimming watery eyes Neil realized the person before him was a small blonde girl. High school age dressed in jeans and a hooded jacket. She had one hand holding something behind her back. The girl didn't seem scared or shocked by the man before her covered in blood and vomit. She remained expressionless  
and calm. blue/green eyes darting around the scene before her, taking in all the information. Neil stuttered "dumpster, Sasha, she" and was then silent again.

Buffy spoke clearly and calmly "OK I want you to go and phone the police" She had quickly realised the man before her was in shock and had nothing to do with the body in the dumpster. The police could do the re-assuring, sympathy and coffee making stuff. she had to track down the demon before it killed again. With that she walked past the man up the alley. Figure it cant be to far ahead now Buffy thought, wonder if ill get home in time to finish that homework?


End file.
